A house concert is, quite simply, a concert at someone's
house. It can be anything from a private party in your
basement, to an advertised public concert series at a nearby
church. They take place in small towns; they take place in
major cities...anywhere a group of people can get together
to hear someone play. They are usually public events
although many House Concert series rely on their own mailing
list to get an audience.

WHO PLAYS THEM?

Almost all of the Yellow Tail Recording artists have
played or are willing to play house concerts. However, there
are some obvious difficulties in putting together a show
with some of our groups, but our solo artists are more than
willing -- in fact, in some cases, prefer -- to play house
concerts.

WHY HOUSE CONCERTS?

For a variety of reasons, none of our artists are
represented by "mainstream" national booking agencies. When
we tour, if we tour, we usually rely on friends or Yellow
Tail connections to find places to play. And, when we
finally do get out there and play, there are often "off
nights" between shows. More often than not, we prefer
performing to watching the local news at the Red Roof Inn.
On the other hand, some of us have done entire tours
comprised solely of House Concerts. They're an incredibly
fun and rewarding way to play for a, usually, appreciative
audience. The thing is, we enjoy what we do and we want to
do it more often. Sometimes there's a great fan base in a
city but no venue; a House Concert can give us an
opportunity we might not otherwise have.

WHERE TO DO ONE?

A living room, a basement, a back yard, a local church, a
recreation center! Anywhere a group of people can sit
comfortably and watch a concert. Obviously, when doing a
concert, there are certain things that we prefer. Chairs
that actually face the performer are always nice, as is a
room with some ventilation and no pinball machines.

WHAT DO THEY COST?

Ah...that's the big question, isn't it. I'm not trying to
be coy...they cost from a little to a lot. There are a lot
of questions that need to be asked before an artist settles
on a price. Things like: is this an ongoing House Concert
series or a one time event? How far away from home is the
show? Is the performer going to be "in the area" anyway? How
big is the room? How many people do you expect? You see, all
sorts of things go into the negotiations. If you think that
you're really interested in trying to host a House Concert,
let us know and we'll talk about it. There's usually some
sort of guarantee, enough to cover the expenses and still
have something to take home. Keep in mind that most
musicians love to play these kind of personal, up close,
shows. On the other hand, this is what we do for a
living...we try to strike some sort of balance.

WHAT DO I NEED?

Chairs...or pillows...or couches...some appreciative
friends...a way to get the word out. A House Concert is just
like any other show...except, quite often, it's in your
living room. Think about what makes you comfortable at a
concert; that's the perfect place to start. It's nice if
there's someplace for the musician to warm up and place to
sell some CDs. Sometimes refreshments are served or
sold...sometimes there's actually room for the musician to
stay over. Everything's negotiable.

WHAT'S SUPPLIED?

The individual artists and Yellow Tail Records will help
promote, if necessary, and even work with a venue to help
organize an event. (In Boulder, Colorado, Yellow Tail
Records actually worked with some individuals to rent the
Unitarian Church for an Electric Bonsai Band show and a
Hilary Field show...both were very successful...both started
out as House Concerts.) If this is a public event, and
you're trying to get your favorite artist to come to your
town, we'll help with posters, press and radio promotional
packages, photos, whatever is needed to help make a
successful event. In many cases, our musicians are driving
and have their own sound system. Sometimes, they're flying
and need a ride...it's something to talk about.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Where do you live? Are you interested in having one of us
play in your town...at your local grange hall...at a
church...in your living room? Let us know and we'll see what
we can work out. Start with an Email and let's see where it
leads!

House Concerts are not just a way to fill in the empty
nights on the road; a series of House Concerts can be the
entire tour! They can be creatively and financially
rewarding; they can be fun; they can be the perfect way to
get one of us to your town. If you're interested, let us
know.

The following artists are available
for house concerts. You can contact the individual artists
by sending To contact them individually, or for additional
information, please use the Contact
Form*: